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◆Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
◆Author: Clive Staples Lewis
◆Brief introduction of the author and the fiction:
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), was an Irish author and scholar. What makes him best known to the people throughout the world is his series The Chronicles of Narnia.
The series The Chronicles of Narnia, the trilogy of Earthsea (《地海传说》三部曲)written by Ursula K. Le Guin，and The Lord of the Rings（《魔戒》三部曲 ）written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien are known as the three fantastic classics of the West. Moreover, C. S.Lewis and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien were good friends.
A number of Lewis's works have also been adapted to movies, the most successful of which is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was made by Disney film in 2005.
Currently, the second movie of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Prince Caspian has already been put on since June 6th, 2008, which immediately became a hit as well.
The series The Chronicles of Narnia includes 7 books. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was firstly published, then Lewis quickly wrote 6 other books of Narnia, The Magicians Nephew, The Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle.
◆Plot:
Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the country.
It was the sort of house that you never seemed to come to the end of, and it had innumerous rooms. While playing the game of hide-and-seek, the youngest Lucy stepped into a wardrobe and found it actually a passage to a fantastic world. It was just the land of Narnia which now was a cold land full of ice and snow. Here Lucy met the Faun, Mr. Tumnus.
After she came back from Narnia she told the three other children her experience, but initially they didn’t believe her at all. Later they entered that wardrobe by chance and found Narnia existed indeed. From then on, they four began their formal and real visit to Narnia.
Narnia was ruled by the White Witch then. She made Narnia a land frozen in eternal winter and never Christmas. She even murdered the innocent who resisted. Meanwhile, as the old saying goes, there would be two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve who would end her domination. So as soon as the four children arrived in Narnia she made her mind to kill off them. At this moment, Edmund, the second youngest, was enticed by the White Witch and became the informant.
On the other side, the spiritual leader, the strong lion Aslan also turned up after years. With the help of Aslan, the children took the responsibilities for saving Narnia. Aslan also sent horses and hawks to save Edmund who had regretted from the White Witch’s. But according to the limit of the magic in early times, in order to save the turncoat, Aslan must agree to sacrifice himself. And Aslan did.
Yet thanks to Aslan’s spirit of sacrifice, which woke up the magic of much earlier times, it got renascence. At that moment, the evil troop was approaching and Peter and Edmund were leading the just troop to resist. At the same time, Aslan set free all the prisoners that were put in chains by the White Witch and went to the battlefield together. The White Witch’s troop was defeated eventually.
Narnia was recaptured. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy became the kings and queens, beginning their government in golden times of Narnia. Many years later, they had grown up. One day, they were riding horses in forest suddenly when they happened to entered that previous wardrobe and came back our world. To their surprise, they found each other still previous appearance as children.
So many years in Narnia, like a dream, yet became their enduring memory.
◆Book Review
No need to say goodbye
——Book Review for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
It’s the first time that I have read such a fantastic fiction. I used to consider such kind of fictions too childish and naïve. Perhaps the first time you read it, you will also think this is just a story created for children, which describes the goodness defeats the evil. However, on further reflection, associating it with our real life and looking back our childhood, there is a vague felling that I even can’t how to define it at first. Later I realize that I am deeply touched, inspired and shocked.
The book makes me understand more about what’s love , what’s belief, what’s braveness and what’s responsibility. It chooses to send us this message through children’s behavior and thoughts. That makes it more touching and inspiring, especially for us adults who probably have lost human’s simplest and purest emotion.
Edmund, who was a little stubborn and thought his sisters and brother never respected him, was enticed by the White Witch at first. Yet after realizing the evil of the White Witch, he regretted and tried his best to make up his mistakes. While in our real life, many people just choose to lie or make more mistakes so as to hide the previous mistakes.
Aslan, a strong lion as well as the spiritual leader of Narnia, was willing to save a turncoat who had regretted in spite of sacrificing himself. Shouldn’t we cheer for his spirit? It was this kind of spirit beyond imagination that woke up the magic of earlier times so that Aslan got renascence.
Here, we may come to understand that there is nothing strong enough but the kindness of human.
As for the four children, the main roles in the story, out of sympathy and concern for the people in Narnia, they took the responsibilities of recapturing Narnia and saving the people here. While in our daily life how many people are escaping from responsibilities around us?
Finally, when they four had become grown-ups in Narnia, they found the doorway of the wardrobe by chance the same as they entered Narnia, and returned our world, only to find themselves still children as before.
In fact, they wouldn’t get into Narnia again by that route. They even couldn’t have the chance to say goodbye to Narnia. It started and ended like a feeling, or rather a dream.
However, there is no need to say goodbye. As the ending says, “you'll get back to Narnia again some day. Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia”. While I think in their deeply hearts, they must have said to Narnia, “I'll come back When you call me.” That’s why I say there is no need to say goodbye.
Here ,I also want to say to Narnia, “The feeling has started here, Which will turn into a quiet thought ,Which will turn into a beautiful hope ,Which will turn into a strong promise .And then that promise will grow stronger and stronger till it is a faithful action .Also, My impression about Narnia will grow clearer and clearer till they're before my eyes .”
Narnia, I'll come back when you call me .No need to say goodbye.
